My employer's T4 looks wrong. How should I resolve it?

Arsen Accounting Services · Question 104 · Sources checked October 29, 2026

Browse cra problems and filing →

A T4 discrepancy deserves a documented payroll reconciliation. Compare the slip with your year-end pay statement and ask the employer to explain the difference or issue a corrected slip. Do not assume a bank deposit proves the T4 is wrong: deposits are usually after deductions.

Identify the disputed box

Employment income, income tax deducted, CPP, EI, and taxable benefits are separate items. A benefit can appear in employment income even though you did not receive that amount in cash. Repayments of salary also have different reporting processes depending on why the overpayment occurred.

CRA's employer guidance distinguishes a payroll error from wages repaid because employment conditions were not fulfilled. One situation may involve an amended slip; another may require a repayment letter and a deduction in the repayment year. Ask payroll to identify the applicable process.

Official guidance: [1], [2].

Make your request specific

Instead of saying “my T4 is too high,” send a table of the disputed boxes with the corresponding payroll records. For example, identify a repayment date, the amount repaid, and the year in which the wages were originally reported. That gives payroll a concrete issue to investigate.

Preserve the evidence

• Retain the original T4 and all amended versions.
• Save pay statements, benefit explanations, and repayment confirmations.
• Keep correspondence showing when you raised the issue.
• Tell your preparer whether the filing deadline is approaching.

If the employer has closed or will not respond, the task becomes supporting an accurate return with the available evidence and explaining the discrepancy. Avoid an unsupported override merely to match an expected refund. Establish the facts, document the reporting position, and check the final assessment against that record.